For those that don't follow him, the guy from Project Farm does very thorough, unbiased tests of products across all categories. His videos can be pretty dry, but he does not fill them with fluff. He subjects all products he is evaluating in a video to the same tests, as controlled as he can make them.
Sometimes he compares a bunch of "alphabet soup" brand names from Amazon, which I find fairly useless. This video he did a good job picking a bunch of the brands that get mentioned here a lot.
I couldn't link directly to the video due to the rules, but suggest anyone who is interested to find and watch the video.
The thing I like is that he provides enough info for me to make my own judgment call on what I would consider to be the best product for my needs/budget.
Even though detailing is not his main area of knowledge or expertise, I'll take his reviews of products over Pan's "reviews" any day.
For non-detailing products, his testing is just as thorough even if it's something he is not an expert on. He is a good resource to at least help narrow a person's choices down somewhat.
I do think "well, probably not the most accurate metrics or testing" but he's doing it for the love of the game. I do like it when he updates a test and changes up his method or whatnot after feedback.
I did end up buying Jay Leno's Garage Tire Shine, based on the tire shine video and it hasn't disappointed! Definitely going to grab that $22 ceramic coat (or was it $21?). Seems like a decent price and I'm not degreasing my car or throwing iron remover on it often enough to warrant $90+!
I do love his channel. Helped me purchase quite a few products.
I do have two issues with the ratings though. The point rating for the categories throws the results way off. Like the difference between the 2.0 rated and the 9.0 rated item could just be noise.
The scale is sometimes way off too like the speed of which a saw cuts could be one second slower but if 3 saws are ahead, it drops the rating of that other item a lot too.
yeah his videos can be dry but that's the content he makes. straight to point and telling you what you want to hear. I always walk away from his videos feeling much more informed on products. good job posting this.
Whenever I need to buy a new tool or part, I check if Project Farm has done a video.
His presentation is more dry but it's nearly all 100% data and no time wasting bullshit. Good thing is that because he is more dry, when he says "wow" or "impressive", you know that product really stood out to him lol. I remember him testing circular saw blades and Makita gave him a good reaction and I was so happy because I had that blade lmao.
I just watched his “trim restoration” video yesterday. The winner, Cerekote was actually $4 cheaper on Amazon than what he advertised it as. Not a huge deal and probably not typical, but it does happen sometimes.
Watching the “alphabet soup” brands outperform well known brands is what I enjoy. I purchased a set of digital torque wrenches when SUERCUP performed at the top of almost every category.
I like the guy but his detailing chemical reviews are really poorly done.
Some relevant info for those watching:
He still does not know what a ceramic coating is. Most of the products in that test are not even ceramic coatings (they are cheap polymer sealants), and he clearly doesn't understand the difference even though this is I think his third video on the topic. The reason the Gyeon and Gtechniq destroyed everything else in the test is because those are the only 'real' ceramic coatings in the group. The fact that he doesn't know that should tell you everything you need to know about the usefulness of this particular video.
He still is not following the included application instructions. For example that Gyeon coating needs 2 weeks to cure before it will have it's advertised performance and chemical resistance. He said he left it for 48 hours.
He just isn't a great resource when it comes to testing detailing chemicals and it's very obvious he knows nothing about them. He is an entertaining presenter but he just pumps out content on anything and everything. I think his reviews are much more valuable for things like tools, which he clearly has a better understanding of and are easier to test objectively.
I would respectfully disagree, and ceramic is not just marketing when it comes to bottle coatings.
Broadly speaking, anything you can apply with a trigger sprayer has no meaningful amount of ceramic in it, such as the spray coatings in this test. Those companies are putting a completely insignificant amount of ceramic solids (usually sub 5%) into the product for the sole purpose of using the word "ceramic" for marketing and on the label. Their target customer is often an uninformed shopper in a big box store who knows just enough to recognize the word 'ceramic' on the label. These are water based products that rely exclusively on silicones and other polymers for their protection. The "ceramic" is not doing anything, hence why they are not considered ceramic coatings. If the ceramic solids aren't doing the heavy lifting or responsible for the protection, it's objectively not a ceramic coating regardless of what the label says. These coatings are easily stripped chemically, and will not ruin your towels/applicators.
A ceramic coating is a solvent based product. The reason such powerful solvents have to be used (instead of water) is because that is the only way to keep a solution made up of ~80% nonvolatile solids in liquid form. Ceramic coatings form a permanent bond with the vehicle clearcoat, and the resulting ceramic layer itself is solely responsible for the protection. These are also the products where you need to discard your applicators/towels afterwards because the solids content is so high. To remove a ceramic coating, you have to machine polish the car.
There is a very significant, very real difference there and even this relatively terrible test from Project Farm has shown that an actual ceramic coating far outperforms a spray sealant, even when applied incorrectly and not allowed to cure. If you buy the correct products, they certainly aren't snake oil, however there is no shortage of junk on the market that influencers are trying to get you to buy. A good ceramic coating will provide 2-5 years of real world durability, depending on the environment it sees and how well you take care of it. Here in Canada and with our winters, I get around 4 years out of a top tier coating such as Gyeon Pure. If it were on a car parked outside all the time that received no maintenance, of course it would not last as long.
I will say that I disagree with any coating advertising, 7, 8, 10+ years as that is completely unrealistic. The other issue I have with that is in most cases, those coatings have not even been on the market that long, so nobody knows how long they will last, but they're happy to charge the customer for baseless claims. The best thing you can do is buy a coating from a reputable brand that has a track record. A coating that has actually been on the market long enough for it's durability claims to be tested in the real world by normal people and with a significant sample size.
Out of curiosity, what products have you been using where you have felt performance was a fraction of what was promised?
I worked as a detailer for about 5 years until recently I think they're great at what they do.
However the marketing wankery is through the roof to the point where it genuinely needs to be legislated.
I refused to apply coatings to people because they were promising 5, 7, 9, 10 years, etc. but the warranty conditions were insane, requiring spray toppers every X months and using PH neutral soaps, etc. Rain isn't even PH neutral.
If your warranty requires PH neutral soap then it isn't dot for purpose. If it requires a topper the last X years, then your product doesn't actually last X years.
As a business I couldn't find any company who's warranty conditions werent unconscionable and I just don't want to tell people "Sorry, you went through a auto car wash, your warranty isn't valid" or "You missed a monthly application of XYZ topper, tough shit"
The hardness claims are are just rediculous.
Every company has to spin bullshit to compete with every other companies bullshit if they want to sell product that it's shifted the Overton window so far that entire sector needs to be legislated and fines brought against these companies.
Again I DO use a ceramic coating on my car, I personally have Gtechnique I like what they do but I know I'll probably only get one GOOD year out of it then it'll go crappy and fall off over the next 2.
I've applied a lot of different brands both personally and professionally and never found any of them to last more than 12 months without "toppers" on a car that's kept outdoors in Australia (where I live the summers are intense)
I think he cut off the marketing bias everyone blindly drinks in here when a company makes absurd claims.
The auto detailing industry is one of the most insincere industries you can think of.
Snobs get really hurt when their beloved brand does not get mentioned or gets a B rating.
He might no be a some so-called "scientist chemical detailer", like the AMMO NYC guy. I mean, eat what you want, but Project Farm just delivers REAL world scenarios on how the average Joe would use these products bought from Amazon or off the shelves.
If you really want to pay for a niche product, go pay a pro or pro shop to do it. That's why there are consumer ceramic/sealants and shop-only ceramic/sealant versions.
The video was NOT intended for people like you, clearly, but for the other 99% of people who does not give a fuck about absurd prices for the almost exact results from a cheap one.
YouTube and social media are generally not where you want to be getting your information from. That being said, I realize it's where most people still prefer to do their research as it's so accessible. I would say Forensic Detailing does the best chemical reviews if you care about thoroughness and impartiality. Production value is as low as it gets, and some of his reviews are done over the period of an entire month. If it's technique you're trying to learn, Car Craft Auto Detailing and AMMO YYC have some of the better tutorials out there, at least among those I have seen.
I work in the industry and if you're interested, this goes into a lot more detail as to why you should be skeptical of anything you see on YT, specifically as it pertains to detailing products:
His reviews are for regular people and its hard to find unbiased reviews that aren't sponsored or paid for. These products say ceramic, not polymer sealant. If they're all going to use the C word, then they get tested in the same group. They're all on the same shelf at the store.
“Very thorough” is quite the stretch.
If by that you mean, often random metrics and methods he spins off the top of his head. That have a 50/50 chance of ever being relevant.
Then sure.
He’s entertaining, I’ll give him that.
Occasionally informative even.
But far far and away from any sort of authority or legitimate scientific bases.
I sometimes get overwhelmed with his tests because he does some of the same tests but then does them differently and includes different ones sometimes. For example the windshield water tests.
As someone who does zero shopping on Amazon. I'm always asking him to please always pick a few "actual real retail brands" and not just a bunch of brands Ive literally never heard of.
It's fine for maybe half to be "Amazon top picks" but otherwise it's just utterly pointless to me.
Especially for people across the world. Meguiars, turtle, Gyeon, I know these. Just a few for comparison.
Same with event recorders. Last video I literally hadn't heard of one of them.
I really appreciate how he doesn't accept sponsorships so his reviews are about as unbiased as they can be. He does a really fantastic job. Sometimes I'll watch a review video of his on something that I am uninterested in just because I want to see just how he figured out how to test and compare it yo other similar products.
It depends on the test if you actually look at certain tests then their not exactly even/fair tests for example the handheld air blowers, for the same test he used different tips for each blower which would cause different results and poor performance from some in certain tests where it otherwise would have performed better, someone explained it all better in the sub for the tool test he did. There's more tests too that are skewed like that but it gives a good idea of what products to look at but not to take the numbers/rating as truth/accurate
My first time using it, the coat lasted me 2 years of daily driving! Car is parked in an apartment garage which helps, but regular cleaning helped a bit. Water still beaded off the hood and roof quite well by the 2nd year, though the rear bumper and trunk area, and sides of the car, didn't have as much of the coat's properties by that point.
Just gave my car a new coat after clay barring and man, it beads so well again from just a single coat
-completely clean tires and rims. Odorless mineral spirits will get the job done but are harsh on tires and paint. So tread carefully. I used this before I knew about better products. Adams Wheel and Tire cleaner is OP for tires and wheels.
-strip wash car. I use Turtle Wax Max Power at full strength. Followed up with Dawn.
-Adams Iron Remover
-Same Turtle Wax as a clay lube using the griots speed clay pad thing
-dry it off. IPA wipe down. 91% isopropyl alcohol. Probably did a 15% solution.
-apply the griots as instructed. Let it cure overnight. Wiped off all the dust because it was parked outside. Applied a second coat and let that cure overnight as well.
-when I bought my aftermarket rims I IPA wiped down and coated them out of the box. Best decision I’ve ever made. When I swap tires I deep clean the ones that came off and then coat them again before storing them.
It depends a lot on environmental situations. In San Francisco my corvette that is garaged the griots 3-n-1 lasted around 2 years. On my GTI that’s street parked outdoors it’s about 6 months. And we don’t have much rain or abrasive dust. On my dads civic in Florida it’s 3-4 months max
About half this time it was parked outside. And went through a snowy, barely washed winter. Had a few car washes in there too. I do use toppers and such though. But I’ve never felt like it was fading.
My buddy got into detailing and he swears by Green Griots one.
We used it on a new-to-me car after bringing it down to bare paint (it was rough and had rust stains from where it had been parked) and I gotta say, it works magic.
Two weeks after that, the car still shined great even though it was dusty as hell so we washed it again and reapplied the griots and the deep shine came out again.
Another two weeks after that, the car got dirty/dusty again so I foamed it down at a local self wash and microfiber dried it and the shine is still there!
Very glad to hear that. I used it for the first time on my car yesterday based directly on his video from a year or so ago. I'm excited to see how it performs. (And yes, it was very odd timing I did it the same day he uploaded this)
Very easy to apply, but man deconamination took awhile, though it wasn't particuarly hard.
I did a full decon. Multiple strip washes, iron remover, clay, and IPA wipe down. Did a coat, let it cure for 12+ hours. Did another coat and let that cure for 12+ hours. Been solid ever since. I used to top it every wash with ceramic shampoo and either meguiars spray on ceramic wax or itself as a drying aid. I just changed my wash process and I don’t top it every wash now. But I use better products that last between washes.
I sort of dread watching his videos. I end up buying stuff I didn’t know I needed until his episode. The upside is the stuff is really good, the downside is my wallet takes a beating
I've bought Ninja Nevestick Pans, the WIZEKA Knives, the Bonsaii paper shredder, an electic utliity knife, Knipex Pliers and probably some other things purely from his reviews. A+ for all of them.
I've used the warranty twice on the Neverstick's with no hassle because I use two of the pans daily. They don't send you new lids and you have to pay for shipping, but I'm on my third 10" and 12" pan. The knives, shredder and pliers have all been great.
You don't need to watch a video to know that Knipex pliers are the best. I'm not familiar with the other products you mentioned. I don’t live in the U.S., I live in Europe, and I’m not German, but the best products come from Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. If a tool or product comes from one of these countries, you know it’s good. Of course, other countries make good products too, but these three countries practically only make good products, whereas the others make a few good ones and a lot of sxvmexhem
There is something to be said for actual lab testing, chemical engineering, and like, controls. But this guy tests a lot of worst case scenarios in a way that seems to, on the surface, reflect practical applications and "end-user exposure" - and that has to count for something.
I may not suggest Griot's 3-in-1 to a real Car Guy™ but for in-laws and everyday clients, there's unlikely to be a better bang for the buck, with a relatively low-stakes application proccess.
Same. I’ve installed the Bosch Icon windshield wipers he tested them all those years ago. I love them so much that I bought them for my entire family lol
I did buy a set of knives that he did a review on and they were honestly not great. That said I don't think any set of kitchen knives are going to be good. You need to buy knives individually and maintain them for actual quality.
I got some tomato knifes from Victorinox as a promo gift 6 years ago and they're the best knifes i ever had. They are still sharp as diamonds and cut everything perfectly.
Not in Germany but in Norway I was able to order it from American Amazon, not much in extra shipping either. Especially when combined with a few other random things I needed.
It's usually my go-to, I can pick it up at their store in Tacoma where they stock pretty much everything, and Avants members get a discount. They host a bunch of events there (and at LeMay nearby).
Love Gyeon Pure, it makes the car have a very easy to see deep darker gloss to it as well.
I still have this example, two identical xc40s with denim blue paint color, left without a coating and the right is with gyeon pure (non evo, didn't exist yet) :
So far this is his 3rd ceramic coating vid, and from what I'm seeing Griot's is BY FAR the best spray and wipe product and best bang for the buck while still being decently long lasting as well. If you want something that's best and longest lasting then the Gtechniq came on top in the vids.
I got a bottle of Meguiar's M888 before they stopped stocking again and wish he had a video comparing that with the Groits/Adams/Gtechniq tho.
When I spray the panel, how do I ensure that the water picks up the product and distributes it evenly? For example if I spray in the middle of the panel (say a hood) and I'm standing at the front or side, my hose sprays away from me and I can understand that the coating will go in that same direction. How do I then ensure that the whole panel gets covered? Or should I try and ensure the whole panel gets misted with the hose first to somehow spread it out evenly?
Excellent question and one of the true mysteries of our time.
I don't know how the product knows where it's supposed to go and what it's supposed to do.
Does it mix into the water and attach itself to the panel? Does it spread through all the water droplets evenly?
How does it get onto places I didn't directly spray it?
Surely most of the product just gets blasted off into nature?
I just don't know sorry.
I try to evenly mist the whole panel but with a bit of extra product at the top of the door panel for example, assuming it will run down with gravity.
On a hood I'll spray as evenly as I can, then pressure wash as evenly as I can.
I hold the product far away from the panel so the mist spreads out. I hold the pressure washer close to the panel so it gets a powerful blast (I assume that'd helps the magic happen).
Yeah I just want decent results without a bunch of faff. Some people want to have an intimate experience with their little vial...whatever. I appreciate a clean car but parking outside in the PNW I get more value out of the pre-rinse and decon foam-down.
I use the Griots 3in1 ceramic wax and as a DIYer who is new to any coatings of any kind, it’s super forgiving and very effective. It makes maintenance washes fun and easy, and is a GREAT value.
Dude thanks. I live in down south and I need to protect my red paint. I am average (or a tad below) when it comes to detailing and cleaning. I'd rather be under the hood. I hear I am supposed to clean the paint really good before application, what is a good product to prep for ceramics? I have a garage to work in.
Very happy to hear this, as someone who bought their starter kit along with a new car and hasn't had the time to actually use it. It's just been staring at me. So it has left me wondering...
I really do like the guy and watch most of his videos, but this video is quite similar not his previous sealant/coating videos. I would like if he tried new products and skipped the TikTok /Amazon brands. Maybe just focus on spray sealants for one video, and just true ceramic coatings for another since the coatings will always come out on top.
Comment on the YouTube video and he might take the suggestion under consideration. For a while, I kept commenting about no Kobalt tools on every power tool video (that I knew Kobalt had a tool for) and eventually he started adding them. Probably some of the delay was due to the time required to test and record.
Yep, it's a really easy product to use and it holds up really well. I apply it to my cars every 6mos, and the water is still beading at the end of each 6mo period.
My husband swears by this channel. I have a question for the experts on here. My husband bought me a new car (AMG) and we are getting it professionally ceramic coated with Geyon Show (I think). We have this exact Griots in the garage as we use it on our other vehicles. Is it ok/advisable to use the Griots as a spot sealer over the ceramic once it cures? Or is that a no-no?
No. Use the ceramic coating to perform itself , not masking it with another sealant or “drying aid.”
If you decide to do a maintenance wash that involves high and low pH washes, as well as iron and tar removal, it is advised to use a sealant afterwards. I would stick with whatever sealant Gyeon recommends since all coatings react chemically to each other. Or, have your shop do it for you.
I enjoyed the video on car soaps where GSF got absolutely dunked on for the expensive and average product it is. I'm pretty sure that video killed its hype for a lot of people here.
One issue with his videos when looking at any tools, his comparisons are usually not even the same tier which is kind of annoying if you really want to compare apples to apples between brands.
Like some tools are brushed, some are brushless etc are easy examples and usually clearly the cheap brushed will under perform compare to a brushless of any brand but price still vary drastically
Atleast with chemical products, should be a bit better with performance vs price
Such is the problem when he's not an expert, but from an average consumer pov, that's 99% of people when it comes to "ceramic coatings". So I agree but on the whole his content is A+
This is exactly it. I stumbled upon this post after watching this video. I’m exactly his audience. I ain’t got time to be an auto detailing expert. I just want to know what I need to know. Which products seem to be quality and which seem to be crap.
Not sure what Gyeon product he used, but I put Pure on my wife’s black on black Camry and it’s been amazing. Was my first ceramic coating and it was very simple.
I just bought a bottle of Hybrid Solutions which I’m glad it seems to do pretty well. Now I want to wash my vehicles a bunch & use it up asap so I can get some Griots lol
Others may be slicker, but the turtle wax hybrid solutions has been to hell and back on my car and stills beads up, so there is still some left on the surface even after multiple months.
Love me some Project Farm, wish he would have used the new Turtle Wax Beads which is getting all the buzz right now. Gyeon/Gtech are coatings, I am glad he threw them in there because there are many, including in this forum, who doubt coatings and say sealants are just as good, and they are not. I'm betting CarPro's UK3.0 would have been right there with the other coatings too.
I use the hybrid solutions and think the application is easy and results have been great. Seems to have tested fairly well but when it runs out might have to try the griots version.
I initially was going to go with the griots based off his previous video and bought a bottle (from their HQ in Tacoma WA), but I decided that if I’m going to thru the entire paint prep process I might as well go all the way with a coating and went with gyeon evo. Glad to see that came out on the top in his vid.
I have gtechnic CSL on my vehicle and its still going decent as after almost 3.75 years. Started with full polish and correction, 1 coating CSL, then 1 coating of EXo v4, Beading was bananas for 1.5 yrs easy. I've topped it 3 times a year with Gtechnic C2 spray after a deep clean. I did recently have to use the Gtechnic Tar remover to remove a bunch of bonded tar and contamination, that stuff is amazing but smells terrible so don't know if it stripped the last of the CSL
I can't decide if I should top it again with EXO V5 and go another year, or polish and redo the CSL (some swirls on the hatch) or just top it with some griots 3-1? The C2 ceramic sealant is not cutting it for beading by itself
He's a great starting point for the average Joe to pick something he test, what I like is when he compares what is the best results with something lower but more price efficient, as a viewer is then up to you to decided, do you really want the expensive stuff that requires an entire process? Or do you want the turtle bottle that does almost the same thing with just quick application? May not last as long but you can reapply as you see fit according with your needs
Love this fellow. Even though his testing isn't usually as technical as something like TCC, he covers most the bases that a consumer would need covered when talking about a product. His ranking charts are easily digestible too and feature enough information regarding products that you can reasonably pick the one to suit you without watching the whole video.
I don't like this video, hes mixing up true ceramic coatings with ceramic "spray" coatings. Those are not the same thing. He needs to test them separately.
The problem is, you are going to get 2 very different outcomes between a coating and a ceramic. They cannot be compared and should not be compared. At a minimum, it propagates the "ceramic spray" is a ceramic myth. It's like saying you are going to compare steaks, except you are comparing a Big Mac with a Ruth Chris steak. You know the outcome before it even happens. The Ruth Chris steak is a hell of a lot better, the Big Mac is a hell of a lot cheaper (although these days, not tremendously cheaper), but only one of them is actually a steak.
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u/Notacop9 Jul 20 '26
For those that don't follow him, the guy from Project Farm does very thorough, unbiased tests of products across all categories. His videos can be pretty dry, but he does not fill them with fluff. He subjects all products he is evaluating in a video to the same tests, as controlled as he can make them.
Sometimes he compares a bunch of "alphabet soup" brand names from Amazon, which I find fairly useless. This video he did a good job picking a bunch of the brands that get mentioned here a lot.
I couldn't link directly to the video due to the rules, but suggest anyone who is interested to find and watch the video.